Fezzes in the river : identity politics and European diplomacy in the Middle East on the eve of World War II

319 Pages·2011·2.78 MB·English

by  Sarah D. Shields

Fezzes in the River
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Fezzes in the River
Identity Politics and European Diplomacy
in the Middle East on the
Eve of World War II
SARAH D. SHIELDS
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Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shields, Sarah D., 1955–
Fezzes in the river : identity politics and European diplomacy
in the Middle East on the eve of World War II / Sarah D. Shields.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-539331-6
1. Turkey—Politics and government—1918–1960.
2. Turkey—Administrative and political divisions—History—20th century.
3. Turkey—Ethnic relations—History—20th century.
4. Turks—Ethnic identity.
5. Arabs—Turkey—Ethnic identity.
6. Turkey—Foreign relations—Europe.
7. Europe—Foreign relations—Turkey.
8. World War, 1939–1945—Turkey. I. Title.
DR477.S54 2011
940.53′25561—dc22
2010023719
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To William, with many thanks
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Note on Names and Translations xi
I ntroduction : Saydo’s Argument 3
1. Fezzes and Hats 17
2. Th e League Takes the Case 48
3. Th e League Decides 78
4. Transition to Independence 112
5. Independence 143
6. Registrations Begin 176
7. Martial Law 204
Conclusion 232
Appendix I 2 51
Appendix II 2 53
Note on Sources 2 55
Abbreviations 257
Notes 259
Bibliography 289
Index 2 97

vii
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have been fortunate to be a member of a terrifi c department that has provided
time to write, funding for research, and an intellectual community to challenge
my work. Many thanks to all of them, not least my chairs Lloyd Kramer and Fitz
Brundage. Th e University of North Carolina has not only provided time for me
to think and research and write but also the fi nancial support to make this all
possible. Th ose grants have come from UNC’s University Research Council, the
Provost’s O ffi ce, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for Research in
the Social S ciences, the Center for Global Initiatives, and the Institute for the
Arts and Humanities.
Th is project has received support from many other generous organizations.
My sincere thanks go to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
American Philosophical Society. I received the Delta Delta Delta Fellowship at
the National Humanities Center (NHC), which provided everything a geek
could want: a wonderful staff , remarkable colleagues, time to think, and woods
to admire. Th anks very much to the staff , Kent Mulliken, Lois Whitt ington, Joel
Elliot, Marie Brubaker, Karen Carroll, Geoff rey Harpham, and the incompa-
rable NHC librarians Eliza Robertson, Jean Houston, and Betsy Dain. Th anks
also to my historian colleagues during the 2006–2007 NHC fellowship year,
who read and critiqued earlier draft s and pointed me in new directions: Robert
Beachy, Chris Browning, Glenda Gilmore, Jan Goldstein, Jud Herrman, Randal
Jelks, Alice Kessler-Harris, Ben Kiernan, Sheryl Kroen, Fred Paxton, Bill Sewell,
James Sweet, Di Wang, and Rachel Weil.
I owe a great deal to the archivists and librarians of many collections who
have helped me locate the materials on which this study is based: Alfred Guidi
and Jacques Oberson at the League of Nations Archives, Michael Van Fossen at
the University of North Carolina, and the helpful staff s at the French Foreign
Ministry archives in Nantes, the British National Archives in London, the U.S.
National Archives in College Park, Maryland, the Prime Ministry Archives in
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